tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post2182943313385709640..comments2024-02-15T05:42:18.307-05:00Comments on Nats Insider: Opening with a dudMark Zuckermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13525315258889435961noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-75333696016490560142012-06-16T12:58:33.796-04:002012-06-16T12:58:33.796-04:00Theophilus--
Yeah, I misspoke about Solis and Ray...Theophilus--<br /><br />Yeah, I misspoke about Solis and Ray. I started mixing what I was talking about between power arms v. lower velocity arms and higher plus picks v. lower round picks.realdealnatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01859440944007854256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-89420007430573650462012-06-16T12:38:16.322-04:002012-06-16T12:38:16.322-04:00Solis and Ray are not "low-round" guys. ...Solis and Ray are not "low-round" guys. Solis was a 2 and Ray got paid real bonus-baby money to go pro rather than Joe College. <br /><br />Solis being injured he won't be dealt anytime soon. Long term, he, Ray, Purke, Meyer and maybe Rosenbaum are competing for one or two spots. Can't imagine the Nats will pay Jackson $11-$15MM indefinitely to be the #4 in the rotation when there are other, cheaper arms in the organization. Having said that, I guess I could see them signing Jackson for three years (not more) and trading him after two. <br /><br />Lots of trade bait under those scenarios.Theophilus T. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16532693473198519382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-76207741760781547022012-06-16T12:05:39.396-04:002012-06-16T12:05:39.396-04:00Question about our minor league pitching:
Who, i...Question about our minor league pitching:<br /> <br />Who, if anyone, do we see up here in 2013? <br /><br />I figure we re-sign Edwin Jackson. And it's too early to tell with Wang. And if Det figures out how to stay consistently masterful--maybe lower body work--the body fuels the mind--but I really don't see anyone from down below.<br /><br />And how about 2014? <br /><br />Purke? Alex Meyer? <br /><br />Are Solis, Ray, Rosenbaum ever going to crack this rotation? Or do we deal them like we did Milone and Peacock? Meaning draft power arms early and develop low round guys like the above to deal?<br /><br />Or do we go after any free agents?realdealnatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01859440944007854256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-79999783057289184292012-06-16T11:56:25.484-04:002012-06-16T11:56:25.484-04:00NatsLady--Ahhh. Gotcha. I thought you meant no S...NatsLady--Ahhh. Gotcha. I thought you meant no Stammen in the BP at all. <br /><br />And as for Davey's decision--although I hated to see Lidge, being so fresh off DL--it felt like Davey giving Bad Henry one of those confidence boosts--I have absolutely no problem with Davey's decisions. As one of the posters so often says "In Davey We Trust." Me too. His loosey-goosey surface belies a masterful hand at working talent, egos, stats, hunches, and gambits into a team that really believes in itself. Even if they took at least a couple moments of last night off.realdealnatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01859440944007854256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-37933591546658170072012-06-16T11:53:05.448-04:002012-06-16T11:53:05.448-04:00I saw Mark's thought. Those at the game last ...I saw Mark's thought. Those at the game last night -- how did Morse's wing look to you?Another_Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03333255005646346556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-8052035885864303502012-06-16T11:51:51.715-04:002012-06-16T11:51:51.715-04:00Real, just saving Stammen for another day, that...Real, just saving Stammen for another day, that's all, not saying he couldn't do the job. I'm fine with Davey putting Lidge in. You don't really need two innings of work from him because if Lidge takes care of the seventh, then you have choices for the eighth depending on the score.<br /><br />Stammen can go 2+ innings (he leads the league in that)--Lidge can't. I say save Stammen for when you need more than one inning.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-64014245413170268312012-06-16T11:50:18.034-04:002012-06-16T11:50:18.034-04:001A, thank you. Not totally original, see Rabindra...1A, thank you. Not totally original, see Rabindranath Tagore (Indian poet).NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-21462087062402902132012-06-16T11:48:43.553-04:002012-06-16T11:48:43.553-04:00Thanks, that was beautiful, NatsLady.
NatsLady sa...Thanks, that was beautiful, NatsLady.<br /><br />NatsLady said...<br /><br /> When I had youth and money, I took in foster children. People would say to me, "How can you do that, doesn't it break your heart when they leave?"<br /><br /> Yes, yes, it does. But the time you have with them is blessed, like a diamond in the dark sky of your memory. Go to it, kid, beat 'em (and if you must, join 'em--but beat'em first.)<br /> June 16, 2012 9:58 AMnatsfan1ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14540238101124316529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-71124188544001657962012-06-16T11:48:43.276-04:002012-06-16T11:48:43.276-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-87089216832761392712012-06-16T11:45:39.998-04:002012-06-16T11:45:39.998-04:00I was at the game last night. When Davey took Gio ...I was at the game last night. When Davey took Gio out at the top of the 7th and brought in Brad Lidge I said to my husband, Brad is not ready for this. The walks will kill you. I thought of two ways Davey might have been thinking....1) Let's see how Brad does in a pressure situation so soon after coming off the DL...or...2) we will not win this game based on the offense I'm seeing tonight so save my resources. yeah, it crossed my mind that Davey was conceding as soon as Lidge ran out of the bullpen. Hopefully, his moves pay off.LoveDaNatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15862413868566964245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-74750544591909395962012-06-16T11:40:46.650-04:002012-06-16T11:40:46.650-04:00NatsLady--
How come no Stammen? He's not str...NatsLady--<br /><br />How come no Stammen? He's not striking out the side these days. Do you think that power and control was a fluke? <br /><br />And who would you have in his stead?realdealnatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01859440944007854256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-89728600444210201512012-06-16T11:40:15.458-04:002012-06-16T11:40:15.458-04:00Looks like I'm totally in the minority in thin...Looks like I'm totally in the minority in thinking Lidge wasn't terrible last night. He had Martin down 0-2 (or 1-2), but Martin kept battling and fouling off some tough pitches and eventually worked a walk. Kudos to Martin. After the sacrifice, they had to walk Cano (would you want to pitch to him with RISP?!) to get to Jeter. Lidge made a pretty decent pitch that somehow slowly rolled past Zim (I really thought he was going to get that!). Desi did reach it, then didn't have enough on the throw to get him at first (I thought ALR was going to scoop it out for the second out of the inning, but it didn't bounce up into his glove, it kind of skidded underneath it, allowing two more to score).<br /><br />Lidge got the grounder he was looking for in that situation, it just found a hole. I even like'd Gio coming out for the 7th. He was cruising for the past couple of innings at that point and facing the Yanks' 6-7-8 hitters (Jones-Martin-Nix). If Jones' seeing eye single doesn't get past Zim, Davey would have kept Gio in to face Martin and Nix.<br /><br />Tough loss last night. But hey, losses happen. The trick is not to let it get to you the next day (today) and to come back out and start afresh! The Nats need to show that Pettitte can't take a year off and come back and dominate us. Let's show him the power of DC Baseball!!<br /><br />GYFNG!!!!erocks33https://www.blogger.com/profile/13013517420071998893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-67792082469821595152012-06-16T11:35:09.769-04:002012-06-16T11:35:09.769-04:00Interview with ALR.
nbc-sportstalk-one-on-one-wit...Interview with ALR.<br /><br /><a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/16/nbc-sportstalk-one-on-one-with-adam-laroche/" rel="nofollow">nbc-sportstalk-one-on-one-with-adam-laroche</a><br /><br />http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/16/nbc-sportstalk-one-on-one-with-adam-laroche/NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-79598450655417479382012-06-16T11:31:27.847-04:002012-06-16T11:31:27.847-04:00Ghost, how bad? Don't like to hear that--coul...Ghost, how bad? Don't like to hear that--could explain a couple things, though.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-2677471447773624192012-06-16T11:30:40.370-04:002012-06-16T11:30:40.370-04:00Chooch Ruiz says his oblique strain was a cramp.Chooch Ruiz says his oblique strain was a cramp.Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-55673685649425929852012-06-16T11:28:05.196-04:002012-06-16T11:28:05.196-04:00Ian Desmond nursing his own oblique injury.Ian Desmond nursing his own oblique injury.Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-16301301454182232992012-06-16T11:16:41.259-04:002012-06-16T11:16:41.259-04:00Real, agree with everything you said (especially t...Real, agree with everything you said (especially the "instructive" part) except putting Stammen. And yes, it's about time for JZ to DOMINATE. Eight innings of shutout three hit ball--no homers--would be nice...NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-85903584428402490902012-06-16T11:06:54.579-04:002012-06-16T11:06:54.579-04:00Mark Lerner better get smart and put the Nats in D...Mark Lerner better get smart and put the Nats in Dark Blue pin stripes next year, with the dk blue lettering outlined in red. If not Brice Harper and Stephen Strasburg will look great in the Yankee uniforms in the future.Mr Baseballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05982448067300955065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-14562677795343434952012-06-16T10:51:10.826-04:002012-06-16T10:51:10.826-04:00The amazing thing about Lannan is that he turns ou...The amazing thing about Lannan is that he turns out to not be even a good AAA pitcher. (Or, that Zach Dukes is a better AAA pitcher than Lannan.) I hope he's invested his $5MM wisely because there is a good chance he won't have a job anywhere in the major leagues next season. No trade possibilities there unless Bowden gets a mid-season job too.Theophilus T. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16532693473198519382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-12785831970978760692012-06-16T10:40:53.636-04:002012-06-16T10:40:53.636-04:001) Should not have put Lidge in. Stammen was the ...1) Should not have put Lidge in. Stammen was the move. Games turn on single plays like Nady's catch. A stop in the 7th and a HR in the bottom of the inning jump starts a flat start. <br /><br />That said, this loss can be instructive. How? Bobby Knight once said he didn't worry about wins so much. What he wanted was his team to play the right way--meaning the talent on that particular team he had playing B-ball the way they needed to. Then he let the wins take care of themselves. We were flat, yes, but we were sloppy.<br /><br />2) The Yankees played better than they will on average and we played worse. But we are not a better team than the Yankees yet. We're not a juggernaut. You have to hit consistently with power to be that--except in super rare instances. But--<br /><br />3) Not wo worry b/c we have Morse getting ST on the job. He'll come around. LaRoche and Desi are for real and will remain so. And we have found Lombo, TMo, and to a lesser extent Solano. <br /><br />4) What happens when DeRosa comes back? I don't know but I'd hate to get rid of TMo, and Lombo is here to stay as is Solano by necessity. At what point does the wisdom of the vets like Ankiel, DeRosa, and Nady give way to youth and athleticism and a higher upside?<br /><br />5) Mick: I'm with you on the Bullpen as long as you keep Stammen in there. But I must admit, I hate to part with Henry. I still think he could be one of those guys that given the right scenario could be lights out. But it involves conquering his confidence issue. And he can't stay on the DL forever. But Henry for spot relief in the middle innings would be killer I believe.<br /><br />6) Everyone talks like Werth will step right back in. I don't believe it. That wrist will take a while. So I would either ease him back in or rotate often. Same with Drew. When he returns, I'd rotate him as closer with Clip until Drew takes it back. That's a true win-win situation. <br /><br />7) Tonight is a true gut-check game for Jordan. Can he reach down and deliver a masterful performance? Can he get through the 5th or 6th w/o giving up the HR, or giving back the lead. He needs to be in lock down mode. As for the pen--they are way better than last night. In fact two of them won't be here in 4 weeks. <br /><br />8) Sorry for the long post. I'm rested and have a minute.<br /><br />9) NatsLady, Gonat, Mick, NJ, everyone really--even Peric whose brain I like but spleen is...his go to pitch--I'll say it again, you all have so many good things to say that totally outweigh the bickering. And so many of you guys are hilariously quick. It's all good. This is no 2005. We got pitching. And and defense. And a smart brain trust running the show who are all on the same page. And we got no clowns. We have a legit shot to steal a WS, last night was just a blip on the screen. We lose power when we think we are a juggernaut, and when we think we are entitled to first place. We ARE every other team's nightmare when we follow Bobby Knight's advice and play the game the way we need to play it--which is how Bryce plays it. <br /><br />5) Mick: No one wants Lannan or Lidge, and we don't want to part with Cory Brown. He's a keeper.realdealnatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01859440944007854256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-9531040167886826452012-06-16T10:36:44.592-04:002012-06-16T10:36:44.592-04:00This is not on Gio. He left the game after 6+ down...This is not on Gio. He left the game after 6+ down 2-1, with one of the best bullpens in baseball needing 9 outs and 2 runs. You might beat the Yankees holding them to 2 runs. You won't beat them scoring 1.Holden Baroquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05941566402992955387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-5787503778314423652012-06-16T10:34:09.391-04:002012-06-16T10:34:09.391-04:00Add to my previous comment that Gorzelanny gets a ...Add to my previous comment that Gorzelanny gets a medal for working two innings, saving the remainder of the bullpen for the rest of the series. He gets the Good Soldier award for this and several similar appearances, and the Good Citizen award for not complaining (at least publicly).Theophilus T. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16532693473198519382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-82012711263089066242012-06-16T10:25:42.762-04:002012-06-16T10:25:42.762-04:00The Nats have backup catchers w/ options -- two of...The Nats have backup catchers w/ options -- two of them, once Leon is healthy. No more needed.<br /><br />I didn't watch last night's game but looking at Mark's writeup and the box score I think this one is on Gio not Johnson. Too many pitches, too many baserunners.<br /><br />At the start of the seventh inning, one on and no outs, Johnson is behind and he still has two games in the series, neither of which is a shoo-in because (A) Petite is the Yankees' best pitcher right now and (B) Jackson is the box-of-chocolates guy -- you never know what you're gonna get. In the 'pen right now there are only five guys that are at all reliable -- Gorzo, Detwiler, Stammen, Burnett and Clippard; it looks like it won't be a setup and save situation -- so no Burnett, no Clippard. And you don't want to burn Stammen because he might have to hold one for Zimmerman and/or Jackson. So exactly who should Johnson put in? <br /><br />I might argue w/ the order Johnson chose, but this was not the night to trot out the "A" bullpen.<br /><br />Gonzalez burned out after six innings; Strasburg and Zimmermann can't seem to go more than six; Wang isn't good for more than five at the moment. The Nats still have the same problem they've had for years -- their starters don't go deep enough into games and the bullpen isn't nearly as deep as it appears.Theophilus T. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16532693473198519382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-69591114403940079082012-06-16T09:58:19.379-04:002012-06-16T09:58:19.379-04:00When I had youth and money, I took in foster child...When I had youth and money, I took in foster children. People would say to me, "How can you do that, doesn't it break your heart when they leave?"<br /><br />Yes, yes, it does. But the time you have with them is blessed, like a diamond in the dark sky of your memory. Go to it, kid, beat 'em (and if you must, join 'em--but beat'em first.)NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-84853809798865400072012-06-16T09:52:37.698-04:002012-06-16T09:52:37.698-04:00Gotta love our future Yankee! Love that kid!
&qu...Gotta love our future Yankee! Love that kid!<br /><br /><i>"That whole team is under a microscope, they all have targets on them. They're the New York Yankees," Harper said. "For all of them to come in here and play their game, know how to play and not worry about anything else around them, is huge. That's what I'm trying to do also."</i>NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.com